Operator and Analog

[verine]

Does anyone ever feel unoriginal when using operator and analog? I can't help but feel a little guilty making a song and calling it "mine" when i use two tools that are available to everyone that uses the program...

i guess that argument could be made when playing any instrument though..

what do you guys think? do you usually get your own synth sounds?

[Furland]

Your song is still your song, no matter what preset you use. Through time you will find thousands of sounds by artists made from factory presets, no shame or integrity loss in that! When you get to know the instruments you sometimes are able to pick out different sounds that resemble presets you know off in other artists sound and thats unavoidable as not all artists have the time , desire or least technological whim to dig deep in ADSR/OSC/FM/whatever setting you can think off to modulate, heaven.

As long as people like your sound, it's definitely "Yours" no matter whatever presets you use as you can't sit around listening to all music in the world to see who uses what.

That being said, I usually find a preset that resembles a direction I want to go with the sound, and then tweak it as I see fit to differentiate it from the original as I usually can't find presets which match my ideas 100% except for those I build from scratch.

A quick idea is to create an instrument rack and then start to combine multiple synths in the Chain rack, this way you create unthought of of sounds that does not exist anywhere else...

happy sound hunting.

[Saxer]

it´s not the tool, it´s the result that counts.

[aeon_flux]

i guess that argument could be made when playing any instrument though..

real synths also has presets so there's no difference. change a few settings, add f/x - it should reduce your problem a bit.

[zalo]

people still dance when a song has the hoover sound in it

or the amen break

or house plucks

etc etc etc

[yosh]

No different than plugging a stratocaster into a reverb deluxe. Its what you do with the instrument that counts.

[foxymethoxy]

do you usually get your own synth sounds?

No offense, but what does this even mean? As long as you don't open up a preset and change nothing, then sure you are getting "your sound." If you are playing Operator or Analog and you can't get "your sound," then sorry mate but it's not the synth, it's you. I personally think the notion that "it's the same as playing a Fender strat" is worthless, because a fender strat literally has a physical composition that limits it ability to sound like anything else. Now that is not to say that synths do not have a specific architecture, but modern synths, especially Operator (not so much Analog as it's made to mimic older synths) are so highly modular that this notion that there is a particular sound to a synth is totally bogus. Although this is obviously not an academic statistic, I guarantee you that 90% of hardware and software synths are based off of the exact same architecture. Yet obviously synths have been producing billions of different sounds for decades! So here's a piece of advice from someone who used to aimlessly look around for "the perfect synth" or whatever bullshit: If you can't name exactly in terms of synth modules (VCOs, VCAs, EGs, VCFs, etc.) or lack of patching options that is limiting you about a particular synthesizer, it's not the synthesizer that's limiting you, it's your ignorance of synthesis techniques. Maybe this is a bit presumptuous, but it sounds like you really need to study operator and analog. Don't write music, sit down and study these synthesizers. Figure out exactly what each knob, button, patching device not only sounds like, but actually does to voltage. I guarantee you your opinion about Operator being limited will change, especially in the context that another poster already stated in terms of linking up multiple operators/analogs in an instrument rack. If you are looking for a place to learn about synthesis, I suggest you start here: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm

[re.mark]

I heard mozart felt extreme guilt for writing music on a piano.

[hurlingdervish]

do you usually get your own synth sounds?

No offense, but what does this even mean? As long as you don't open up a preset and change nothing, then sure you are getting "your sound." If you are playing Operator or Analog and you can't get "your sound," then sorry mate but it's not the synth, it's you. I personally think the notion that "it's the same as playing a Fender strat" is worthless, because a fender strat literally has a physical composition that limits it ability to sound like anything else. Now that is not to say that synths do not have a specific architecture, but modern synths, especially Operator (not so much Analog as it's made to mimic older synths) are so highly modular that this notion that there is a particular sound to a synth is totally bogus. Although this is obviously not an academic statistic, I guarantee you that 90% of hardware and software synths are based off of the exact same architecture. Yet obviously synths have been producing billions of different sounds for decades! So here's a piece of advice from someone who used to aimlessly look around for "the perfect synth" or whatever bullshit: If you can't name exactly in terms of synth modules (VCOs, VCAs, EGs, VCFs, etc.) or lack of patching options that is limiting you about a particular synthesizer, it's not the synthesizer that's limiting you, it's your ignorance of synthesis techniques. Maybe this is a bit presumptuous, but it sounds like you really need to study operator and analog. Don't write music, sit down and study these synthesizers. Figure out exactly what each knob, button, patching device not only sounds like, but actually does to voltage. I guarantee you your opinion about Operator being limited will change, especially in the context that another poster already stated in terms of linking up multiple operators/analogs in an instrument rack. If you are looking for a place to learn about synthesis, I suggest you start here: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm

fuck yea man!!

lets not forget theres not much real composition when it comes to electronic music basslines....
you could make a one note bassline but if you know how to modulate the synth right it will be interesting